Hemsley & Hemsley: Quinoa Salad & Pesto

MELISSA AND JASMINE HEMSLEY, the sisters behind London-based healthy food business Hemsley & Hemsley, are sending us a weekly delicious recipe. Read more about them here. This simple recipe is delicious hot from the oven, as a warm salad or cold for work the next day. Add some courgette fritters and a leafy green salad to make it a special meal for guests. Ideally for your happy digestion, quinoa should be soaked (just cover with double the volume of water) - it sounds like a faff but once you've done it a few times it becomes habit. Roasting vegetables is an easy way to cook lots of vegetables at the same time, and though fresh is always best, roasting is a great way to use up older vegetables. Pesto is a fast and fancy way to jazz up anything - always make extra, keep it in the fridge and use it to drizzle over almost anything you can think of. Instead of expensive pine nuts and parmesan we've used Brazil nuts which add a creamy texture when blended. They are one of the few nuts that don't require soaking before we eat them plus they are one of the most concentrated food sources of selenium, which protects cells from free-radical damage and enabling your thyroid to produce hormones. You can also try other nuts or even sunflower seeds. We used basil for this pesto because a big bag of it had just arrived in our Riverford Farm organic veg box. Basil has delicate little leaves so we like to whizz them up quickly in olive oil before they get battered and bruised in the fridge. Feel free to add in any fresh herbs you have - parsley, mint and dill would be just as delicious as well as a little rocket or watercress too. Herbs might seem like something that just adds flavour but everything that grows on this planet has a value - for herbs it's their incredible medicinal properties. SEE ALL HEMSLEY & HEMSLEY RECIPES HEREIngredients (use organic ingredients where possible) Serves 4 people with leftovers Roasted Vegetables Roughly chop any vegetables you like, the more colours, the better: 4 large carrots (we found yellow and orange) 1 large red pepper 2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes or 4 large tomatoes cut across and flesh side up 1 large onion (red is sweeter) 3 large beetroots - chop into small chunks or little wedges as they take the longest to cook 1 handful of herbs - we used sage and rosemary 3 - 4 teaspoons of ghee or real butter Sea salt and black pepper To serve: some fresh leaves e.g. rocket, watercress or use shredded red cabbage as we did Quinoa 1 and ⅓ cups of quinoa (⅓ cup per person) soaked overnight in filtered water (if you can) and rinsed 2 and ⅔ cups of water or ideally homemade stock (so good for you and delicious) 1 pinch of sea salt Basil pesto 3 large handfuls of fresh basil (stalks and all if you're using a blender) 6 Brazil nuts (look for unsalted and raw, or try almonds or cashews - the more nuts you add, the thicker and creamier your pesto will be but if you want a thinner dressing, add more oil and lemon juice) 2 large cloves of garlic 1.5 cups of extra virgin olive oil 3-4 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice or 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar Sea salt and pepper to taste Instructions

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[item]Preheat your oven to 200C.[/item]

[item]Lay your roughly chopped vegetables in a single layer on a roasting tray, sprinkle with salt and pepper and add your dollops of ghee or butter. Scatter over herbs.[/item]

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[item]Roast for 30-40 minutes or until veg is tender (pierce with a knife to check). Halfway through, use a wooden spatula to gently turn the veg.[/item]

[item]Meanwhile make your pesto. Blitz everything together in a food processor or with a handheld blender. Otherwise grab a sharp knife and finely chop the garlic, basil and nuts, then whisk with the olive oil and lemon juice. Season to taste.[/item]

[item]Bring your water or stock to the boil, add your rinsed quinoa and cover.[/item]

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[item]Simmer on a medium heat for approximately 12 minutes. Remove your pan from the heat and leave to stand for a further 5 minutes, lid on.[/item]

[item]The cooking liquid should have evaporated, if not, drain the excess and fluff your quinoa with a fork. Your quinoa should taste slightly nutty and be a little al dente (if it's still a little hard, cover again and it will cook more in the residual heat).[/item]